The Not Quite Truman Show
by I Am All Things Turquoise
Summary: "You say 'I haven't lost anything, going through the gate'," I said, sneering, pointing my finger right in his face, "but here you are assuming that the loss has to be physical, like an arm or leg. But you don't understand that I have lost my family, my friends, my unborn sister. You don't get that I have lost EVERYTHING!"
1. Well Fuck

**The Not Quite Truman Show**

 **Hello, hello. This is my second fic ever, my first one for Fullmetal Alchemist. So yeah.**

 **And by the way, since I am the author, I'm going to be changing things up a bit.**

 **This is an O.C. fic. For those of you who don't like it them, simply don't read. There may be a chance of a romance with one of the canon characters, but I think realistically if you fell into an alternate dimension, especially one that's as action-packed and mentally and physically stressful as the Fullmetal Alchemist one, you would have a lot more to worry about than your love life.**

 **So did some calculations for the money currency there (cenz) and I've assumed that 500 cenz = $1 USD back in the 1910s, judging by how much it cost for a short phone call. But $1 USD back then is around $25 dollars USD now. So essentially 500 cenz is equal to $25. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, as this is just my assumption. If you think of something better please P.M. me :)**

 **Also, if anyone knows how to do that line or paragraph breaker thing, please P.M. me cause it would be really helpful**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Only my O.C. and possibly other O.C.'s I add into the story**

 **Warning: Rated T for swearing, violence and other stuff which I'll warn you about later**

 **Edited 7/4/17 - yeah, it has been a while. Sorry for not updating in a long time, but I'm eating my way through the next chapter which should be up soon :)**

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Chapter One: Well Fuck

In the duration of my fifteen years, I've always been prone to having strange dreams.

One I had was where I walked into the bathroom, only to find my Dad having a bath in the toilet. His legs has somehow disappeared into the bowl, and his arms were rested on the rim. Another where, for some reason, it had been socially unacceptable to be seen entering a library. I remembered that one quite vividly. At one point, someone had entered the library in a lobster costume in order to remain anonymous. But I digress, this dream I was in takes a cake for, well not being my strangest dream, but still being one of my top twenty 'pretty weird' dreams all the same.

To put it frankly, I was in a white space filled with white nothingness with no definite ending. No walls, no ceiling and, I looked down, no floor. I could not tell where and when the floor met with the roof. It all seemed to merge into endless white. But strangely enough, the ground below me was quite solid. I jumped up and down. It felt like concrete, no spring in it at all. It was vaguely disorienting, and wrapping my head around the physics of this place was giving me a headache. I hated physics.

For a dream I was quite aware. I mean, sometimes whilst in a dream I had realized I was dreaming, but never to this extent. I flexed my wrists, rolled my shoulders and cricked my neck, feeling the muscles and joints work together in a very realistic fashion. Strange indeed.

"Welcome," a strange, unfamiliar voice cut across my train of thought. Though I heard it coming from behind me, it seemed to echo across the endless white, making it seem as if it were a hundred voices instead of just one. I pivoted around. Before me was a weird figure, sitting down with one elbow propped against its knee, which was close to its chest.

The figure was human, or at least humanoid. It was completely white, save for some kind of dark aura - for lack of a better word - surrounding it. Not only that, I noted as I looked closer, it produced shadows. There was one under its chin and another from under where it's arm was resting on its knee. I looked up, trying to detect a light source, but there was nothing but endless white. I looked back down at the figure.

"This dream is pretty strange, even for me," I stated, glancing at the figure curiously.

The figure cocked its head to the side. "What makes you think this is a dream?" It asked. Its voice, or voices, made me shiver. It sounded like a mix between a beautiful voice of a singer and a pack of wolves howling at the moon. Feral, dangerous and raw.

I scratched the back of my head. "I mean, I remember going to bed before this, so what else could it be?"

The figure didn't answer, just continued to stare at me. Actually, I take that back. It couldn't stare at me, considering it had no visible eyes. But still, something about its presence caused my heartbeat to increase, caused the beginnings of my fight or flight mode to kick in. Something in the back of my mind told me to get the hell away from here. Which was ridiculous. This was just a dream, right?

"So, who are you?" I asked, trying to keep the waver out of my voice.

It brought its hand to its chin, as if pondering the question, "I am what you call… the world. Sometimes the Universe. Usually God. Occasionally Truth. Never All. Infrequently One and," It paused, bring its hand from its chin and pointing it at me, "I am also you."

I laughed nervously. "That sounds rather ominous, don't you think? Is that what you say to all the girls, or am I just special?"

The thing merely grinned. Okay, say what I might about its presence, but its grin made my previous feelings of uneasiness feel like a nice, summer's breeze. It was a smile that could break the will of even the strongest men. It was a grin that knew all your deepest darkest secrets, knew who you really are. It was a grin that knew the best and most efficient way to ruin you. I felt bile rise up my throat. I swallowed it back down, ignoring the burning sensation it caused, and closed my eyes.

"This is just a dream, this is just a dream," I whispered to myself, slowly backing away from the figure, counting my steps. "One… two… thre-." I felt my back hit something solid. Startled, I whirled around. In front of me was some sort of giant door, hovering above the ground so the bottom of it was in line with my hip. I backed away and looked up at it. It was a dark grey colour, with strange inscriptions carved into it. The inscription kind of looked like a tree. Long and thin, with branches stretching out. Those branches ended with circular shapes. A circular shape rested on top of the tree, with some sort of crown around, and the bottom of the tree was feathers. There was writing, I noticed as well, but it was too far away for me to see what it read.

"Your presence here will be like the wind to the trees," the figure stated. I slowly turned around. It was now standing up, hands resting by its side, the terrifying grin still glued to its face.

"You may stir the leaves, even knock a few branches loose, but the tree itself remains unchanged. You will know exactly what course of action is going to happen, but whether the leaves will be stirred is up to you."

I raised an eyebrow "Wha-"

Suddenly, I heard the door behind me quickly swing open. A loud, groaning noise greeted my ears, as if a giant had awoken from its nap. I turned around again to face the door. In the open doorway was…

...Well...Shit.

In the doorway, surrounding by darkness, was a giant, grey eye, glaring and luminous. It protruded out, to close to me for comfort. Looking at this set off something inside me; the hairs on the back of my neck rose and my heartbeat rate increased tenfold. Panic set in and I felt adrenaline rush through every corner of my body. I began to full out sprint away. Anyplace, anywhere, I didn't care about my destination just as long as I got the _fuck away from there_. But before I could get any more than three metres, thin tendrils of shadow wrapped around me, circling everywhere from my head to my feet, and began to drag me back into the dark, looming doorway.

"NO, LET ME GO!" I screamed. I fought, kicked, scratched, punched. I tried to break free, tried to run. But every time a part of me escaped, two more tendrils came in its place. They wrapped around me twice as tight, dragging me back twice as fast. "PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU. LET ME GO!" I felt tears of desperation spill down my face as I could do nothing but feel myself being dragged back into the dark doorway.

The doors began to close in front of me and the endless white of that strange space becoming slimmer and slimmer. Before the doors had completely shut though, the figure had one more thing to say.

"I wish you the best of luck." It said, a terribly amused tilt to its voice. The last thing I saw was its horrifying, will-destroying grin. Then the doors slammed shut with a deafening bang and I was surrounded by darkness.

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I woke with a start and sat up, my breath erratic and my heartbeat so quick it could match a hummingbird's. 'It was just a nightmare', I told myself. 'Calm down, it was just a nightmare'. I began to do my breathing exercises. In for four, hold for five, out for eleven. I could feel my heart rate decrease. As I saw the light that surrounded me and felt the warm breeze flow through my hair and clothes, I reassured myself. 'See, everything's perfectly normal'. I felt my panic start to ebb away, in its place relief. 'It was just a nightmare'.

But that panic came screaming back at full force when I adjusted to my surroundings. When I realized that the surface beneath me wasn't my bed and when the area that surrounded me was definitely not my bedroom. Instead, I was on some kind of street. Well, technically a footpath, but I digress.

It was filled with people in clothes you would see your grandmother wearing. Which wouldn't be too strange except for the fact that I see people in their twenties who walked around in that exact fashion statement.

The cars that filled the street were certainly not your average Ford or Toyota either. Instead they were those vintage cars you point out every time you see them drive down the street, as it was such a rare occurrence. They were the ones you see in documentaries and movies based in the early to mid 20th century. I remembered back when I had gone to an old car museum with my Dad, and I had seen cars almost identical to the ones parked in the gutter.

'Have I gone back in time, or am I still in some hyper-realistic dream?' I thought as apprehension filled me to the brim. I touched the ground beneath me. It was cobblestone, cracked and worn with weeds poking through into the surface. Much unlike the concrete streets back home. The people who walked passed me mostly ignored me, and only acknowledged me with looks of contempt and disgust. Whether it was because of my 'strange attire' or the fact that they thought I was a beggar, I had no idea. Probably both, to be totally honest.

At one point a little boy, who was holding his mother's hand, pointed at me.

"Look, there's a girl over there!" He shouted, with his accent twisted and folded into an American twang. His mother looked at me, before she turned her nose up and wrinkled it as if she had smelt shit.

"Ignore her Benjamin." The woman had a pompous and, like her son, an American accent (how she managed to sound pompous without being English, I don't know). "Trash like that are not worthy of our attention".

But the boy wrenched his hands out of his mother's and ran towards me. Upon closer inspection, he couldn't have been more than ten. He had big baby blue eyes and cropped blond hair, with freckles dancing across his pale skin.

His outfit... kind of looked like a school uniform. He wore a grey blazer over a white button up shirt, with dull grey shorts that went down to his knees. He ruffled through the pockets of his shorts, before he pulled something out and held them out to me.

"Here you go, miss." he said with a bright smile that was without his two front teeth. I hesitantly went to grab them out of his hand. They were some coins, ones that I have never seen before. I scrutinized them for a bit, then glanced back at the boy questionably, only to see him as he walked back to his mother.

"Wait!" I shouted, standing up. But his mother walked briskly towards him and grabbed his hand, before she hastily pulled him away.

"That's why you ignore them. You give one money, and they start surrounding you, asking for more. Vultures, I tell you."

I felt my blood pressure rise slightly at that. 'Takes one to know one, bitch', I thought. I then calmed myself. I've been called worse. The boy turned around and waved at me. I hesitantly lifted my hands and waved back. Then the boy and his mother then disappeared around the corner, out of sight.

I glance down at the coins he gave me. Three, I counted. They were all round and silver, similar to a twenty cents coin. But there were some differences. They were bigger and heavier, and on the backside was a crescent moon making a face. Or at least, that's what it looked like. Wait, no I take that back. It looked like a lion with no legs, only a ribbon that curled away from its torso. I flipped the coin over. On the other side was the number five hundred.

I thought of tossing the money away, but then reconsidered. This may be the currency for… wherever I am. I looked around. This definitely does not look like the streets of Wellington. My time travel theory was still at the forefront of my mind. Maybe it was time travel in a dream. That would be pretty cool.

'Whelp, no point staying in one spot,' I thought, and started to wander off in the opposite direction of the woman and her son. 'God forbid I run into her. The real vulture there. Looked like one too.' I thought venomously.

I stuffed the coins in my hoodie's pocket. Never before have I been so glad that I wore pants to bed than I was them as I was then. As I stood in the middle of the street with my hoodie that goes down to my mid thighs, and my black sports leggings that touch the floor if I stretch them enough. Unfortunately I didn't have shoes, but my feet were calloused enough for it to not be painful to walk in bare feet.

The more I wandered around, the more confused I got. I know New Zealand wasn't known for its skyscrapers, but there wasn't anything even distinctly modern here. The shops looked old and worn, their signs dusty and lacking the prominent colours that could be seen on most modern buildings. The strange thing was also, everyone around me had American accents; the boy and his mother weren't an exception. Considering the fact that I was still in my pajamas, I assumed that I was still in New Zealand. Or maybe, I've gone back in time. Who knows.

After what felt like hours that I wandered around, with the sun lower in the sky, I finally worked up the courage to ask one of the civilians of this place… where this place actually is. The woman I approached was average height, with long straight black hair, black eyes and an athletic build.

"Um, excuse me," I began, awkwardly. The woman looked down at me, smiling. She nodded, as if beckoning me to go on.

"Do you know what city this is?" I continued, accentuating each syllable, as I knew firsthand how hard it was for Americans to understand a New Zealand accent.

The woman looked confused, "Uhh, you're in East City." she said, as if that would clarify everything. Which it didn't. There were a lot of cities in the East. Napier and Hastings in New Zealand. In America, New York, Washington... I think. Or is that in the west?

"Okay… how about what country?" I clarified.

The woman looked, if it were possible, more confused than before. Her eyebrows furrowed and she peered down at me.

"Well, you're in Amestris of course."

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And that's the end, folks. Sorry for the short, boring and yes, I admit, pretty shitty chapter. I'm still getting used to writing fanfiction so give me some time.

Please review me some constructive criticism, that would be great.

Goodbye¬

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	2. Awkward Encounters

Chapter two:

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 **Hello, hello. Thanks to all who faved, reviewed and followed. The last few days have been quite shit, what with the exams. Oh, and the big earthquakes shaking everything up. The day before my science exam, there was a real big one. I couldn't really get to sleep that night and only got around 1 hour sleep. Which incidentally meant that I was doing my exam on one hour sleep.**

 **During my science exam, it was quite scary as you could hear the rumbling of the earth and the creaking of the ceiling and you're like "if I'm going to die here, I better get fucking excellence for this paper".**

 **So pretty much the last few days has been kind of shit. Some roads are blocked off and up north there are floods caused by both the earthquakes and the massive amount of torrential rain.**

 **So, yeah. Basically I'm typing this up, trying to ignore the random jolts of the earthquakes.**

 **Oh, and to all those who haven't watched 'The Truman Show', I would recommend watching it for this chapter. Or it least search up the summary of it.**

 **And for those confused about the character's name, it's pronounced Tah-fah-rung-E (you roll the 'R'). 'Wh' in Maori is pronounced as if it were an 'F'.**

 **Anyway without further ado, let's continue**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I only own the main O.C. and any other O.C.'s I decide to add in.**

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 **Previously:**

 **The woman looked, if it were possible, more confused than before. Her eyebrows furrowed and she peered down at me.**

" **Well, you're in Amestris of course."**

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Now:

Concern replaced the confusion in the woman's gaze.

"Are you okay? Where are your parents?"

I pretended not to hear her, my brain too busy processing what she said. Amestris? As in, _Amestris_ Amestris? Okay, where the hell am I? Maybe I misheard her and she said America.

"Amestris? Ah-mess-tris?" I clarified, moving my hands across my body to accentuate each syllable.

"Yes, where else would it be?" The woman placed a hand on my shoulder, "do you want me to take you home? You may have hit your head."

"Uh, I have to go. I see my parents, bye," I lied quickly, shrugging off her hand, turning around and walking as quickly as I can away from her, without looking like I was desperately getting away. Which I was.

Amestris, seriously? And here the woman thought _I_ was the one that hit my head. Unless I was magically teleported into, what was it? Fullmetal Alchemist? Yeah, the sounded about right. Unless I was magically teleported into Fullmetal Alchemist - which the chances are extremely slim, if not non-existent - then I am in a place that's full of wackos who think they're in someplace that they're not.

I walked up to one of the black, vintage cars parked on the side of the street, and rubbed my finger against it. The metal underneath me was cold and ...metallic. I streak of dirt covered my finger as I brought it up to my eye. I looked up to similar cars that were driving past. Whoever made up this make-believe land for schizophrenics who think they're in Fullmetal Alchemist clearly had lot of money to throw away.

No, that didn't seem right. The woman seemed too genuine to be crazy, asking me if I was alright. And the vulture seemed like a genuine bitch who had a stick up her ass. Unless they were some schizophrenics with a few Oscars under their belts.

I walked away from the car and around the corner. But what I saw next stopped me in my tracks. Standing around twenty metres away from me were two average built-men. Nothing out of order. Except, of course, for the extremely recognizable, blue colour of the Amestrian military uniform. Some part of me, for some reason, found this hilarious. I started laughing hysterically, pointing at the two men.

So was this some massive cosplay thing. No, I would have heard of something this big. Maybe it was like 'The Truman Show'. Or not. 'The Not Quite Truman Show'. The Tawharangi show, starring Tawharangi Jones as the unsuspecting, unknowing and unwilling main character.

Though I must admit if that is so, Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the stranger shows to replicate. Partly for the fact that the show is animated and finding actors who looked and could act as the characters would be difficult, but mostly because alchemy is not possible. Not quite sure these guys thought this completely through.

My younger brothers and I watched the anime not too long ago and I found myself genuinely enjoying it. I especially loved the intelligent and interesting ways the protagonists come up to counteract the work of the antagonists.

"Oi, girly! What the hell are you laughing at?" one of the "military officers" shouted. At that point, I realized that I was still laughing at them. Very noticeable and obnoxiously. People were beginning to stare. I wonder what I looked like from the outside perspective. 'Random 15 year old laughing at military officers'. Or 'main character of Tawharangi Jones show gone insane'.

Even from here, I could see the genuine anger in their faces. Whoever hired them as actors certainly knew their stuff. I wiped a tear out of my eye, before waving them off and walking back around the corner. I quickly glance up at the buildings, then at the sky, then at the random tree situated on one of the balconies above me, searching for any indication of hidden cameras.

Suddenly, it all clicked in my brain. The hyper-realistic dream! That was meant to be 'Truth'! To think I was so scared of the figure, when it was actually just some actor guy painted white. I guess it was just the voice. The doorway was pretty well done too. Not quite sure how they did that though, but hey, it's the 21st century.

I took out the coins that were oh so conveniently given to me just as I woke up. The metal was cool against my palms. 'Well, might as well buy something to eat.' I thought. 'I'm pretty sure I saw a bakery back there. Wouldn't be good for the viewers if I starved to death'.

The front of the bakery was a cream colour, with the words 'Lorenzo's Bakery' in a faded red above the doorway. I pushed open the door and was greeted by the sound of a bell chiming. The beautiful smell of spices assaulted my nose. But, a welcome assault. A hug. An extremely violent hug of deliciousness.

It was an old store, but on the countertop were some of the most delicious foods I have ever seen. Exotic baked desserts littered across the space, with names that certainly weren't English.

"Hello, can I help you?" An accented voice asked, cutting through my train of thought. I looked up from the heavenly baked delicacies. A Hispanic looking man looking to be in his forties greeted my sight.

I grin, placing the coins on the counter, "how much can I get with this?"

The man counted the coins, "1500 cenz? What type of food of you wanting?" Ah, that's what the currency is called, cenz.

"Just something to fill the stomach, nothing too fancy or elaborate. Maybe some kind of bread?"

The man grinned. "Bread, I do have."

He walked over to the back and pulled out loaf of bread from one of the compartments. He placed it on the counter in front of me.

"This is what we call in Aerugo, pan de Mearto. Bread of Mearto, named after Axel Mearto. He was the king of Aerugo, nearing 300 years ago now."

"Was he a good leader?"

"No. He was a psychopathic dictator who got killed by his tenth wife," the man shrugged, "but he did have good taste in bread."

"That's one redeeming feature," I said, before looking at the baker questionably. "So what makes this bread worthy of a king?"

"They say Mearto called in bread makers from all around Aerugo, to help make the perfect bread. Hundreds of them came to the capital, Velasco, in order to please the king. Only one of them, Ricardo Leon, met the king's level of perfection. It was a mix of spices and garlic all brought together in one dough. They said one bit was like a touch from God himself. He was alleviated to the king's personal bread maker."

I cocked my head to the side. "What happened to the rest of the bread makers?"

"They were all hung for not meeting the king's standards."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit excessive."

"Axel Mearto was known for being 'a bit excessive'."

I chuckled at that, "so how much for the bread of the crazy king?"

"1100 cenz"

"How about 900?"

"1000"

I smiled, clapping my hands together "Deal!" That's the first time I've ever bargained. I felt quite empowered.

He put the bread in the paper bag and handed it to me, before taking two of my silver coins.

"Thank you for your service. Please come back."

I laughed. "If I feel the sweet caress of God while eating this, I certainly will."

I exited the shop, bread in hand and confusion filling my thoughts. That guy was a good actor. Almost too good. I'm pretty sure he crossed the fine line between acting and being genuine. I massaged my temples. Maybe I am in a coma. I could've hit by some soccer mum whose kid was one minute late to practice and I am now in a coma. My brothers are holding my hands, my stepmum standing up, one hand holding her pregnant belly and my father sitting by my bed, thinking if only he'd come sooner-.

Ok, that thought was _way_ too dark for someone about to experience the touch of God. I pull the bread from the paper before taking a bite. Well, let's just say crazy king guy definitely knew his shit about bread. Ahhh, I could feel God's embrace, his arms circling around me as the taste of the garlic and spices overcame my senses. I closed my eyes and let out a groan of pleasure. This is why I love bread.

Okay, I've felt the touch of God. It is quite nice. With the amazing taste of the bread in my mouth, I started going over my current situation. So essentially, I'm in Amestris. East City to be precise. How I got here or why I'm here is unknown. Whether this is some Truman Show shit, I'm in a coma or I was somehow magically teleported into Fullmetal Alchemist is unknown. All I really know is that a psycho king lived 300 years ago in some other country.

Each option was equally bad. I mean, if this is like the Truman Show, that means my whole life has been a lie. But I've been up and down most of New Zealand. Unless the year is actually around 3003, I don't think there is a dome that big. Plus, as much as my pride hates to admit it, I don't think the whole world literally revolves around me. Figuratively, maybe. But not literally.

The scary part is though that if this isn't some kind of prank, social experiment or Truman show thing, then what the hell is it? The latter two options I don't really want to think about, because the more realistic one is that I'm in a coma. I groaned, shaking my head. It was too late for this shit.

Though the sun was almost down, there was still a warm breeze blowing through the city. 'Must be summer', I thought. 'Or maybe Amestris had an uncomfortably warm winter.' I might as well find a place to hunker down for the night. I started wandering along the streets, the shadows cast by the low sun growing bigger with each passing minute, the orange hue of the sky slowly fading into black. Finally, I found a park with patches of comfy looking grass.

I lay down and curled into a ball, and let sleep grab a hold of me, and drag me into the dark nothingness.

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Edward could feel the beginning of a migraine kicking in.

So far, Shou Tucker's notes on chimeras and his bio-alchemical notes, although they are interesting, have proven nothing about that would help them restore their bodies through chimera alchemy. Still, he had not given up yet. Simply the sheer amount of reading has caused his brain to clog up, not allowing any information to go in.

So that lead Edward to his current situation. He and Alphonse were wandering the streets of East City, getting a breath of fresh air, heading back to Tucker's when they feel like. He yawned, stretching his arms out and cracking his neck.

Edward knew he should probably get some sleep tonight, but the quicker he gets this done the quicker he and Al will get their bodies back. 'No rest for the wicked', he thought. The warm sun shone down on his back, making him awkwardly overheated in his long, red coat. But he knew that a blast of fresh air would do him good. Nina was taking a nap up in her room, and probably wouldn't be up for a while.

Walking past a group of women dressed in fancy clothes and holding small dogs, he could hear them talking.

"Did you hear about that one girl who started laughing at the military officers?"

"How disgraceful. Laughing at military like that. For shame."

"Yes! And apparently she was asking what country she was in."

"And she was wearing this strange clothing too."

"Is that her over there?"

"I think it is."

One of the woman pointed to a dark-skinned girl who was standing across the street. She was wearing strange clothing. A long, black overcoat of some kind and strange, black skintight material instead of pants or a skirt.

"Brother," Edward heard his brother say above him. He looked up to meet his brother's eyes. "We should help her."

Edward raised an eyebrow, before scoffing, "why should we? She probably just partied too hard last night. Had too much alcohol and is off her face."

"I don't think anyone gets drunk enough to forget their country. Or laugh at military officers. Maybe she's from another country and doesn't know where she is."

"You may be right. It's no wonder she laughed at the military uniforms though, they are pretty hilarious."

Alphonse stopped walking. "Brother." He said, in a tone. Edward stopped walking too. He knew that tone all too well. It was the tone that Alphonse always used to guilt-tripping him into doing something. It was the 'you know it's the right thing to do' tone, which always made Edward feel morally obliged to do whatever Alphonse said. His brother was the master at that art.

"Fine." Edward exclaimed angrily, before stomping off in the direction of the girl. He could hear the clank of his brother's footsteps as he hurried after him. The girl was leaning against the side of the building, eyes closed and humming an unfamiliar tune. She flipped a 500 cenz coin into the air with her right hand, catching it, then repeating the process. In the other hand, she held a paper bag.

The girl was average height, with a stocky build. Taller than him, Edward noted with a huff. She looked no older than sixteen. Long dark hair trailed down to her mid back. He also noticed that she wasn't wearing shoes. 'Idiot', he thought. 'Is she trying to get her feet shredded?'

"Um, excuse me miss…" Alphonse began hesitantly. The girl opened her eyes, catching the coin one last time and putting it in her pocket. She started at them for a few seconds, her dark eyes unreadable, before recognition sparked in them.

"You must be the… Elric brothers," she stated slowly. "Edward and Alphonse." She had a strange accent. The way she pronounced her words meant she definitely wasn't from around here.

"You've heard of us?" Alphonse asked, surprise lacing his voice. The girl nodded, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Well," Alphonse continued. "We were wondering if you were, uh, okay."

The girl raised an eyebrow, "that's a very good question, but what context is this in?"

"You laughed at some military officers." Edward stated, voice devoid of emotion. "We were wondering about your mental health."

Alphonse looked at him sharply, but the comment didn't seem to affect the girl. Instead, she cocked her head to the side, looking at Edward curiously.

"You know, I'm surprised they actually found someone short enough to play-"

Edward felt a blood vessel burst in his forehead. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK MIDGET SO SMALL THAT HE COULD SURVIVE UNDERWATER BECAUSE HE'S SO MICROSCOPIC HE CAN BREATHE THE OXYGEN ATOMS?" He exploded, interrupting the girl. She looked taken aback for a second, before she chuckled, raising her hands in an 'I surrender' gesture.

But the look she gave him made his blood temperature rise even further than her comment. It was exactly like one of Colonel Mustang's condescending gazes. No, no it was slightly different. While Mustang's were full of arrogance, full of superiority from a man with a 'better than thou' attitude, the girls were full with something worse. She looked down at Edward like an adult would look down on a stupid child. Almost a pitying look. She was laughing at him, for a reason he didn't know. He narrowed his eyes, indignation filling his body.

She looked away from Edward and up to Alphonse. "So what are you two doing in East City? Don't you live in Central?" She asked.

"No, we have never lived in Central." Edward replied bluntly.

The girl looked confused for a moment, before she sparked up again. She mumbled something incoherent under her breath before smiling.

"So you guys are researching stuff with Shou Tucker, right?"

How did she know that? "Yes." Edward replied hesitantly.

"Ahhhhh," she put her hand to her chin, looking thoughtful, "so Nina hasn't been turned into a chimera yet?"

Chimera? What is she talking about? Before he could respond to that, she laughed, waving the statement off, before replying to his previous question.

"Well, the reason I was laughing was those military people was because, well, come on. Who decided that blue was a good colour? It's a surprise anyone takes them seriously," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I guess it's proving the old statement true. Some respect the man, but everyone respects the gun."

"I haven't heard that one before." Alphonse said.

"No, I doubt you have." She mumbled.

A tense, awkward silence surrounded them, before Alphonse asked "where are you from? Your accent certainly isn't familiar."

The girl paused, considering the question before answering, "Aerugo. The capital city, Velasco, to be precise."

"Aerugo, that's a long way to come." Alphonse stated. The girl nodded in agreement.

"I'm here to visit family in… Dublith," Edward picked up a slight pause before she said the town's name. "But unfortunately, I think I caught the wrong train, or I missed a stop. Either or, I ended up in East City."

She turned to them, "say, is 500 cenz enough for a train ride to Dublith form here."

Alphonse shook his head, "no. It costs around 4,000 cenz. Usually, it's more expensive but from here to Dublith is quite short."

"Damn it," she mumbled, looking down at the coin in her hand. She looked back up at them, sadness filling her gaze and crocodile tears streaming down her face. "Well, I guess I'll go find another patch of grass to sleep on for tonight. Good day."

The girl started to walk away slowly. 'Damn bitch,' Edward thought. 'She knows Al's weakness and is exploiting it.' Sure enough, Alphonse called for her to come back.

"Brother's a State Alchemist. We can pay for your train ride."

The girl lit up, "really, you would do that. Thank you very much. I know it's a bit much, but could you take me to the train station. I'm pretty sure if you gave me directions, I would get lost."

Alphonse chuckled, "no problem. It's not too far a walk. Say, what's your name?"

The girl smiled up at him, "you probably can't pronounce my full name without insulting me heritage, so just call me Tafa. Tafa Jones."

"Well Tafa, I am Alphonse Elric and this is my brother Edward. A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasures all mine"

They made it to the train station without incident, Tafa and Alphonse making small talk with Edward trialing behind moodily. Tafa successfully paid for the ticket. The train was meant to come in around seven minutes.

When the train finally came, Tafa gathered herself and was about to get one.

"Hey Tafa," Edward said, just as Tafa was about to disappear into the train.

"Yes Edward?" The doors were beginning to close.

Edward felt a smirk come onto his face, "just so you know, Velasco hasn't been the capital of Aerugo for 200 years."

The door's closed just in time to see Tafa's shocked face. Satisfied, Edward walked away from the train, Alphonse trailing behind him. He quickly turned around to see Tafa's train depart the station before continuing walking away.

The Elric brother's walked back to The Sewing Life alchemist's house, the sun still high in the sky.

"I didn't like her." Edward blurted out, nose wrinkling in distaste.

"She wasn't too bad brother."

"She was a condescending bitch. Almost worse than the Bastard Colonel."

"She wasn't that bad."

"Whatever," Edward said, crossing his arms. "It's not like we'll ever see her again."

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I looked out the window, seeing the scenery go past me. Perhaps I could have been less of a bitch to the Elrics, but at the moment I was sick of this. Sick of Amestris, sick of this weird predicament of where I am.

Should have guessed Edward would have called me out on my bullshit though. I mean, he became a State Alchemist at the age of twelve. O at least in the anime, he did. I looked at the extra coins Alphonse gave me. Was that even his real name, or was it some actor. I sighed, looking back out the window.

What the hell is going on?

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 **And that's a wrap. OOC characters are OOC. Thanks to all and sorry for the shitty and boring chapters. Hopefully, it'll get more exciting. I still have some exams left so updates will come slower, but after that should be some sailing.**

 **Please don't hesitate to tell me if I have any mistakes, or if you have some criticism.**

 **See you next time**

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	3. Of New Jobs and Angry Thoughts

Chapter Three

 **Guess who's back. I've been binge watching 'Lazy Town', and binge listening to hit single 'We Are Number One' . A horrible yet amazing pastime. I would recommend**

 **Also exams are finally over. Thanks for your patience and thanks to all who reviewed, faved and followed. It helped me get off my lard ass and actually do something. I've been extremely busy with exams and sport, but I'm back!**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, or any of the places. All I own are my OCs.**

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 **Of New Jobs and Angry Thoughts**

 **Previously:**

 **I looked out the window, seeing the scenery go past me. Perhaps I could have been less of a bitch to the Elrics, but at the moment I was sick of this. Sick of Amestris, sick of this weird predicament of where I am.**

 **Should have guessed Edward would have called me out on my bullshit though. I mean, he became a State Alchemist at the age of twelve. I looked at the extra coins Alphonse gave me. Was that even his real name, or was it some actor. I sighed, looking back out the window.**

 **What the hell is going on?**

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Now:

I squinted my eyes as bright sunlight assaulted my sight, wind blowing through my dark hair. After forty-five minutes of sitting in a cramped seat, standing up again in the warm fresh air was a great relief for my body, especially my sore buttocks. I heard the train depart behind me, a plume of smoke momentarily covering the station before it was blown away in the wind.

The Dublith train station was bustling with people, a canvas full of bright colours. Men, women and children hurried past me, too focused on their own lives too notice the strange girl in the weird clothes.

It's strange and rather disconcerting to think that I've been here for a day, twenty-four hours more or less. The sun was as high in the sky as when I first showed up. Funny, it's felt like a week since I first arrived, with everything that's happened. And by everything I mean eating bread, catching a train and falling asleep on a patch of grass. How exerting. I chuckled to myself, scratching the back of my head before walking away from the station and towards what I assumed to be the town's centre, judging by the mass of people.

My destination actually turned out to be some sort of marketplace. The streets were filled with vendors and shops selling everything from clothes to fruit to finger-puppets. My stomach grumbled as I passed a store selling "Xingese Fried Food". I put my had in my pocket and fingered the change that Alphonse had given before I got on the train.

"Just in case you missed your stop again," the seven-foot armour had said, voice full of mirth while placing 8000 cenz in my hand. My hands closed around the coins and I had smiled gratefully up at him, ignoring Edward's annoyed growl in the background.

I sighed. Unfortunately, it would only tide me over for a few days at most, that is if I don't leave Dublith. At least, that's what I think. I'm not quite sure what the equivalent exchange of cenz to money back home is. Right now, my top priority would be to find a job. Nothing fancy, just something that will be able to pay for some food, a roof over my head at night and perhaps some clothes.

Walking through the streets of both East City and Dublith, I could feel the judging gaze of the occasional passerby, glancing at my clothing in confusion or disgust. Sometimes an unattractive mix of both. Usually, that would make me pretty pissed off, but I simply brushed it off after I put their opinion into context.

My oversized black hoodie and skin-tight, ankle-length sports leggings greatly contrasted the silk blouses and knee length skirts that seemed to be the common fashion for women. I mean, if I saw someone walk around in a lobster costume back home, I would probably look at them weirdly. Or join them. Depends on what mood I'm in.

Still, my apathy for their nasty looks or whispers didn't mask the fact that I wish that the wind would change, leaving them with permanently furrowed eyebrows and sneering mouths.

Too lost in my own thoughts, I failed to notice someone cut across my path, causing me the ram straight into them. I managed to steady myself, but the other person wasn't so lucky. They fell to the ground, spilling the contents in the basket they were carrying. Apples, oranges and other miscellaneous fruit rolled everywhere.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" I exclaim, before wincing. I really need to cut my foul language. Upon closer inspection I noticed, to my horror, that the person was an old woman, with curly, grey-streaked hair and wrinkled tan skin. I felt my stomach clench, a familiar action that always happens when I know I am guilty of something. Due to the intense moral obligation I was feeling, I flipped her basket over and began collecting the spilled fruit.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that," the woman tittered, already on her feet. I finished refilling the basket, before picking it up. It was surprisingly light, considering the fact that it was full to the brim with fruit.

"Nonsense," I tell her, "it's the least I can do for knocking you over. I'll carry these for you, then we'll be even."

The woman looked hesitant, so I put on my most charming smile. Or at least what I thought was charming. My friend told me that it made me look like a sexual predator. But the woman relaxed a bit, before nodding and walking down the street. I followed after her.

We walked in silence. I couldn't decipher whether it was a comfortable silence or an awkward one.

"My name is Tawharangi Jones," I say, breaking the silence, "but you can just call me Tafa."

She looks up at me, a small smile on her face. "I'm Bettina. I run a fruit and vegetable shop, as you probably can tell."

I chuckled, "yes, I can definitely see that."

The silence hang in the air once again, this time obviously heavy and awkward. It reminded me of that one washing basket I had back home that dug into your arms whenever you tried to hold it, no matter which way you held it, making holding it very awkward. I like this silence as much as I liked that washing basket. Which means I want to burn it with fire.

Fortunately, Bettina spoke up again. "So, Tafa," she said my name, as if it felt awkward on her tongue, "where do you come from, if I am allowed to ask."

I pondered the question. I could say that I'm from Aerugo again, but obviously I don't know enough about the country and I may get called out... again. And I can't just say 'I'm from a completely different universe? Dimension? I'm not quite sure where I am, but please don't treat me like I'm crazy'. So, I'll say I'm from…

"Resembool. It's a small, rural town south-east from here." I lie, trying to portray confidence in knowing where I come from. A feeling of triumph filled me. Resembool was the one towns I knew quite a bit about, due to its frequency in the anime. "How about you?"

"Dublith born and raised. My father ran a woodwork shop. When he passed away, I turned it into a fruit and vegetable stall."

"How's business going?"

"Since it's nearing the beginning of summer, business is getting better and fruits are able to be sold cheaper. As well as that…"

We continued to small talk for the rest of the walk. Nothing too personal was brought up, just light chatter, like "what is your favourite type of customer?". We stopped at her shop and walked through the door. A chiming sound greeted us when we entered, not too different from the one at the bakery in East City. I placed the basket on the counter.

Bettina smiled at me, hazel eyes warm behind her glasses, "well, thank you for carrying that. It's greatly appreciated."

"No problem. I don't think I apologized before, so I'm very sorry."

She chuckled. "Apology accepted," she turned away from me and moved to pick up the basket of fruit. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'll be putting these away now." Though it was said kindly, the dismissal was clear. But I had one more thing to ask her.

"Do you know if there are any available jobs round here?"

Bettina paused, putting her hand to her chin. A moment passed between us before she snapped her fingers, "yes. Albert, the half-Xingese man who runs a shop near here is looking for a fetcher."

"A fetcher? What's that?"

"You younglings are lucky that you can move so easily. When you get to my age, your body stops working the way it used to," she sighed, "Albert busted his legs, the old fool. He needs someone to do some errands, like fetching meat and ingredients."

I nodded, before glancing out into the street, "where can I find him?"

"He works in a shop called 'Xingese Fried Food'," I felt my mouth water a bit, "down the road. You just need to go back the way we came then go a bit further," Bettina grimaced, "sorry, I'm not good at giving instructions."

I waved her off, "S'okay, I'll be fine," I started walking toward the door, before stopping and turning back to Bettina. "Thank you," I say sincerely.

"It's nothing. It is simply refreshing to see member of the younger generation being so courteous."

My smile sharpened a little, "let's just say I've learnt that being a horrible person gets you nowhere."

She nodded at that, "oh and by the way. Just a warning, but Albert can be a tad… grumpy."

I raised my eyebrows, "define how much do you consider 'a tad'?"

"Okay, he's very grouchy."

I laughed, "Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind. See you later." I heard the beginning of her saying goodbye, before the door shut behind me and I stepped out into the street

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It took me around half an hour to find Albert's store. A trip that took quite a lot of backtracking, rerouting and eventually, asking a random store owner where to go. Turns out I was very close, to my chagrin.

'Xingese Fried Food' was written in bold writing on the storefront and a closed sign hung on the door. The smell drifted to my nose and made me groan in pleasure. Nothing like good food to turn me on.

I knocked on the door lightly before opening it. It was dark and cool inside. Yellow and orange tables surrounded the main area, chairs stacked up on them.

Sitting behind the counter was an old man, who was writing something on a slip of paper obscured from sight. You could see his mixed heritage, with his narrow and sharp blue eyes and pale skin. Albert looked to be a short, wrinkled man with white hair pulled back into a low pony-tail. Upon hearing the door close, he looked up from his writing and glared at me.

"Oi, what the hell are you going in here!" he growled, "the sign says closed."

 _Jeez, I see what Bettina means when she says he's grumpy._ I put my hands up in surrender, "Bettina, the old woman who works in the fruit store-"

"I know who Bettina is, get to the point," he interrupted me.

 _Maybe if you'd let me finish…_ I breathed in for seven, and out for eleven before gluing a smile to my face, "Bettina who works in the fruit store," I repeated, feeling satisfaction curl inside me at the way he twitched in obvious annoyance, "said that a half-xingese man named Albert who works here was looking for someone to be a fetcher."

He grunted, going back to his writing, "yeah, that's me. What's it to you?"

I inwardly groaned. That hint wasn't even subtle. In fact, it wasn't even a hint. "Well, my name is Tawharangi Jones, but most people call me Tafa. I'm here to be, well," I searched for a word, "to be interviewed for the job."

"At no point did I ask for your name."

My smile twitched slightly, "from what I've heard it's common courtesy here to introduce your yourselves and being at the very least, _polite_ to others," I let an acidic tone leak into my voice, "apparently I was wrong."

Albert looked surprised, his eyes widening slightly, before they narrowed again. Bet they held a different, somewhat appraising light. He put his pen down and folded his hands under his chin.

"So, Tafa," he drawled, "you have my attention. Why do you want this job?"

"I need to pay for food, clothes and somewhere to sleep." I say bluntly, finding no point in lying.

He cocked his head to the side slightly, "so you're not from Dublith?"

I shake my head, "no I'm from Resembool."

"Then why are you in Dublith? I'm truly not in the mood to deal with some runaway princess."

I chuckled, "I'm a princess in everything but title,"I shake my head, "no, my parents simply said I needed some real life experience-"

He raised his eyebrows, "real life experience? How old are you? You can't be more than sixteen."

"Fifteen, actually. But that's not important." Lying through my teeth with some elements of truth, I continued my story, "anyway, I first wound up in East City. There was nothing for me there and I didn't have enough money to go anywhere else. But," I put my hand to my heart, "my knights in shining armour came in the form of a State Alchemist and his younger brother."

"You got helped by the dogs of the military?"

I nodded, "me and the State Alchemist are, well not friends, but we knew each other back in Resembool. Have you ever heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, his younger brother gave me some money. Dublith was simply one of the cheaper stops."

He sighed, "I'm simply going to go out on a whim and assume that you don't know your way around Dublith."

"No…" I replied slowly.

"So why should I hire you over someone who already knows their way around here?"

I ponder the question, before meeting his gaze, "because I'm in desperate need for a job. I need money for food and shelter," I thought back to my limited knowledge of Dublith, "because Dublith isn't the safest place in the world. Especially with the red-light district. My need for money will mean I am desperate enough to do my damndest not to fuck up."

We held each other's eyes, my dark brown clashing with his clear blue. My father had always told me to look someone in the eyes. It's a sign of respect and strength, he had said once when I was nine, to look someone in the eye, whether they be emperor or peasant. That lesson had always stuck to me.

Albert and I stared each other down. After what felt like hours, Albert broke the gaze, sighing as he looked back down at his papers. "I guess you have a point. I will give you a trial period."

He started writing down quickly on a piece of paper, "I need you to pick up some ingredients from the spices stall and some flour from the general store," he said, before grabbing some coins and a couple of notes from the cash register and putting them, along with the piece of paper, on the counter. "Here's the list of things you need to get. I want a receipt for _everything_ you buy. If," he put up his index finger, "I find even _one_ cenz not there, you're out on your ass. Understood?"

I put my hand up in a salute, "yes sir," Albert rolled his eyes. A silence came over us, before I asked, "so can I have a map or something?"

Albert raised an eyebrow, then nodded. He brought his elbows back as if to… wait a second. Remaining at the same height, he moved from behind the counter. I looked down to see him in a wheelchair, one of the old-fashioned ones, which is understandable considering where I am. He wheeled himself to the backroom.

Through the slit in the doorway, I saw him struggling a bit to reach. Part of me wanted to go help him and get the map myself, but another, more logical part of my brain told me to stay still. From the brief encounter I've had with Albert, he was a very prideful person and me helping him would not be seen as act of kindness, instead an act of pity. So I stayed in the same spot.

A few minutes later, not without the occasional curse from the backroom, Albert wheeled himself out. Though he held his usual expression of disdain, there was a hint of pride in his gaze.

He beckoned me to the other side of the counter. "This," he circled a spot near the middle of the map, "is where we are right now. And here," he circled a spot to the the left of the previous, "is the general store. The spices stall is just up here," he circled the final place just above the general store, "I want you back in at most an hour. We will be opening in two and a half hours and I want everything ready before the store opens."

"Understood."I grabbed the money, map and slip of paper before walking out of the door.

I took a deep breath. I suppose I should be freaking out more, but I seriously didn't have the mental willpower for that. Most of it was spent on finding a job and the rest will be spent working out a way out of this shit-hole.

I turned to walk left, hoping I was going in the right direction.

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Edward lay on the small rickety bed of the Rockbell's spare room, impatiently flexing his flesh, and at this point only wrist. He could hear Al's slow and controlled breathing from inside his armour and the quiet tinks of Winry in the room across from his.

Winry had already had her final snap at him, telling him to keep out. But could she blame him for bothering her. He'd been restless ever since Marcoh had given him the location of his research. The sooner he got his arm finished, the sooner he could look at the notes and the sooner he and Al could get their bodies back.

He went to crack his knuckles, put the lack of his metal arm made the act futile. He placed his flesh arm back on the mattress and closed his eyes.

A lot had happened in the past week. The philosopher's stone brought a touch of light in an otherwise bleak period of time. Actually, bleak didn't even begin to describe it. Devastating, will-destroying came closer. The Colonel had said that occurrences like these were common in the job of State Alchemists, that he should get used to it and accept what happened.

Bullshit. Edward clenched his hand. How could anyone with an ounce of humanity be okay with the fate of Nina and Alexander. How could anyone be okay with the fact that Nina's own father turned not only his daughter, but also his wife, into chimera simply to keep his job. A job he wanted to keep in order for him and his daughter to stay out of poverty. No one could be okay with that. No one.

' _So, Nina hasn't been turned into a chimera yet?'_

His eyes snapped open at the familiarity. That was nearly three weeks ago. That girl, Tawa or Tala, had said that, he could remember. Eyes crinkled in amusement, arms behind her back. ' _So you guys are researching stuff with Shou Tucker, right?'._ A mocking tone.

How did she know about that. He hadn't been there at Tucker's for longer than four days. Did the girl, who had lied about where she came from and guilt-tripped Al into giving her money, who had spoken to him in a condescending tone, know something about Nina and Alexander's fate.

He sighed. It was likely she did not. But the fact that she was able to guess something like that was certainly no coincidence. She must have known something, the timing of the statement and the statement itself proved. Once he was done with the philosopher's stone, he would travel to Dublith to ask her.

But if there's one thing he knew for certain. If she knew did know about it. If she stood idly back and let a kind, clever, innocent girl meet such a terrible fate, Edward let a determined scowl come across his face.

Then there wouldn't be enough of that Tala bitch left to pick up the pieces.

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 **Oh no, Edward-kun. How will you and Tafa-chan make cute and awesome babies if you're mad at her. Don't you know that Tafa-chan is just a lost, innocent soul.**

 **Anyway, sorry again for the late update. Hope you guys have a great Christmas and holiday. I wish you the best for next year.**

 **Xox- I am all things turquoise-chan (gotta love suffixes :D)**

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